Hey guys,

I am still completely happy with my 997.1tt and plan to own it for at least another 1-2 years, but I'm sure like a lot of you, I'm constantly looking at cars on the internet and 'researching' the potential replacement when the time comes.

My question is this. Obviously if my future car turns out to be local it will be an easy decision to try and negotiate a trade with my current car. But odds are I will likely find my next car not local to me (via ebay, autotrader, etc.). I realize that trading my car will benefit me substantially in tax savings (here in NC) however I have never done a long distant dealership trade.

I know they exist but how many people have actually sold/traded their car to a dealership long distance sight unseen (from the dealerships perspective). My neighbor purchased a newer GTR recently long distance from FL, and the dealership bought his Ford Raptor SVT sight unseen. He just took probably 50-60 pictures and they obviously ran the VIN etc. But how many dealerships do this, especially on a 7-8 year old car (which mine will be in 1-2 years)?

Obviously once I find 'the car' I want to be able to pull the trigger, and don't want the sale of my current car to hold up the deal. I just wasn't sure how receptive most dealerships are to long distance trades? If it's a huge PITA I will just try and sell it privately first then take this variable out of the equation.

Any first hand experience?

Russell

 

I have bought almost all my cars out of state. However, I have never traded in my car to a dealership out of state. Some are receptive to it and the process you mentioned above is how it works, however, there are some that definitely will not because of bad experiences. The dealership trade in prices are always too low for me and I have always been able to sell for several thousand more privately and the money I make in sale is more than the tax savings for a trade in. However, if the dealership will take it it does save you the time/headache of trying to sell on your own. Another, item to consider is the transportation. I have received "free" shipping and shipping worked into my final price at a "discount," and split the shipping costs with the dealers. However, I have no experience with how a dealer would handle the shipping to them. I figure they would require you to pay some portion of it, if not all of it. But it all depends. If you find the car you want I suggest putting aa refundable payment down on it and then work with the dealership to figure everything else out (you get about a week or so). When the time comes good luck! I am definitely one of those guys always on the internet looking for the next one hah.

 

Most dealers will not want your old car with the cost involved in shipping state to state and taking the risk in buying your car sight unseen. They might if it was a 959 or a 918, but a run of the mill 997TT not much luck unless they are making a lot off you on their car. I don't know how NC works but in AZ the state gives you the sales tax credit only if you trade the car in on another in state, out of state trades to a dealer don't get you that sales tax credit. In AZ if you buy the car from a private party you don't pay sales tax(8.25%), which is very nice on a 75-100k car and if you buy new out of state you only pay the state portion of the sales tax which is around 6%.

 

That's a good point, I hadn't considered if an out of state trade would still qualify for the tax credit in NC. Something to look into.

 

Normally dealers want to see and evaluate your trade plus they want to offer back of wholesale book so they can make money on both ends. I tried numerous times to have a dealer run my trade through the auction and apply the funds toward my trade for tax credit, but I had to go out of state before I finally found a dealer that was willing to do that for me. You might have to spend quite a bit of time on researching this. I called dealers in many states before i was lucky enough to find one that would work with my trade.

 

I sold my car prior to buying the new one out of state because I wanted the ability to pull the trigger on the new one without the hassle of negotiating with the dealer while having the handicap of a trade. I had to wait for two months for the right car, but being able negotiate with cash and no trade got me a low mileage CPO 997TT at a great price. Shipping became the big hassle. There seems to be a lot of less than savory transportation brokers out there, and dealing with a reputable carrier is critical.

 

I'm probably an example of what not to do but I have had 3x p-cars in the last two years. With the last two I have bought them before I sold my current car. I've been fortunate enough to sell them within a couple of weeks of bringing home the new one. I will say that the buyers of those cars got great deals as I needed to move them. Practically speaking, I'd sell your current and then shop for the replacement.